French police. Gendarmerie

In the United States, the most common name for police officers is the word “cop,” which is considered an abbreviation for “Constable on Patrol.” It is also associated with the word copper (“copper”) - the first Americans wore eight-pointed stars made of copper. In Britain, police officers are called “bobbies” - a derivative of the name Robert Peel, the founder of the British and famous Scotland Yard. In Russia and Ukraine they are usually called “cops.”

Today, in many countries (including Britain), the usual names for police officers are gradually being replaced by the American word “cop”.

In France, the most common nickname for police officers is the word "flick", which appeared in the mid-19th century. Given as “fly”, however, the witty French gave it another decoding - Federation Legale des Idiots Casques (Legal Federation of Idiots in Helmets). In addition to flicks, in France police officers are often called "ajean" from the word "agent" or poule (chicken). In Germany, police officers are addressed in absentia as Bulle (bull), in Spain - poli, and in Italy - "sbirro" (derived from the red color of the uniform).

Official names

In most European countries, police officers are usually called police officers. In Russia they are addressed simply as a policeman. On the territory of Ukraine, the police are called “policemen” or “policemen”. The French respectfully address a policeman as “gendarme”, and the Italians as “carabinieri”. German police are called "policemen", Spanish - policiaco (emphasis on the letter I). In South America, police officers are simply called agente or comisario.

The word “police” has the same sound in all countries of the world and is translated from Greek as “state system” or “state”.

In Poland, police officers are addressed as “policeman”, and in Norway – “constable”. The Portuguese call police officers policial, and the Finns call them poliisi. Due to such a diverse “assortment” of police job titles, government researchers often find it difficult to classify police agencies into a specific classification while remaining within the framework of government mechanisms. However, it is not always possible to clearly classify the police and special state security agencies even if there are generalized and understandable names for these professions.

French police. Gendarmerie

The article examines the organizational and legal issues of the functioning of the gendarmerie as an integral part of the French police.

The French gendarmerie has four levels.

The first level is the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie (La Direction Générale de la Gendarmerie Nationale).

It is headed by the Director General (Le directeur général).2 Since 1946, the Director General of the Gendarmerie has been a civilian - a prefect or magistrate.
Since 2004, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been appointed chief of the gendarmerie. The term of office is four years, but it can be extended.

The General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie ensures the functioning of the entire gendarmerie institution. The Directorate carries out the most important operations; manages regional divisions; assists in making political decisions concerning the gendarmerie (budget, jobs, etc.).

The General Directorate includes:
1) Cabinet (un cabinet), divided into bureaus and services;
2) Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie (L"Inspection de la Gendarmerie Nationale - IGN). It is headed by the Director General for Training, Information and Control. The functions of the Inspectorate include: conducting judicial investigations for which the gendarmerie is competent; supervision of gendarmerie units, economic analysis of management under the leadership of the same units; application of prevention and control methods related to compliance with hygiene, safety, and working conditions;
3) three services, in turn including departments:
a) Human Resources Service (Le service des Ressources Humaines - SRH). The general, the commander of the service, manages all employees of the gendarmerie, and also leads the policy on the recruitment and formation of staff;
b) Service of operational bodies and recruitment service (Le service des Opérations et de l "Emploi - SOE). The general commanding the service controls:
– subdirectorate of organization and evaluation (la sous-direction de l"organization et de l"évaluation);
– subdirectorate of international cooperation (la sous-direction de la coopération internationale);
– subdirectorate for the protection and maintenance of public order (la sous-direction de la défense et de l"ordre public);
– subdirectorate for ensuring public safety and road safety (la sous-direction de la sécurité publique et de la sécurité routière);
– subdirectorate of the judicial police (la sous-direction de la police judiciaire);
c) National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (Groupe d'intervention de la gendarmerie nationale - GIGN).3 Created in 1974, it united four types of gendarmerie security forces into a single structure: National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (le Groupe d'intervention de la gendarmerie nationale ); Parachute Squadron of the National Gendarmerie (l "Escadron parachutiste d" intervention de la gendarmerie nationale); Gendarmerie detachment for ensuring the security of the President of the Republic (le detachement gendarmerie du groupe de securite de la presidence de la Republique); Investigation squad and life safety squad (le Groupe d "instruction et de securite des activites).

The Group is currently under the direct supervision of the Director General of the National Gendarmerie and is also associated with the activities of specialized units. The group is directly led by a senior officer, who relies on two headquarters: the first prepares operations and plays an important role in crisis situations; second
provides administrative and financial support, and manages human resources.
Currently, to work both within the structure (administrative work) and to participate in the operations themselves, the group includes five main security structures - forces:
– intervention (la force intervention);
– observation/search (la force Observation/Recherche);
– safety/protection (la force Securite/Protection);
– technical means (une force appui operationnel);
– formation (une force Formation).

In addition to its immediate tasks, the Group, in cooperation with other units of the national gendarmerie, national police services and armed forces, participates in the fight against terrorism, banditry, ensuring security, protecting the interests of the nation and the security of high-ranking government officials.

The National Gendarmerie Intervention Unit was reformed in 2007. She carries out complex operations at a high level, and also participates in operations of particular importance.

The second level is the Departmental Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie departementale).

The departmental gendarmerie works to ensure public safety, paying special attention to contact with the population at any time of the day. It carries out tasks to ensure the protection of the population and its property, and also interacts with the judicial police.

The departmental gendarmerie exists in several forms:
1. “The Gendarmerie Region” (La region de gendarmerie).
Gendarmerie regions were created in 2005 as part of a reform to simplify the structure of the gendarmerie. The creation of this structure allowed the gendarmerie to make the organization more cohesive and contributed to a better execution of civilian and military tasks. The reorganization resulted in a simplification of command, maintaining functional links at the regional and zonal levels with civil and military authorities. The elimination of the hierarchical authority made it possible to vest the command with the main authority to exercise control and maintain order. The commander of a regional detachment extends his authority to all formations of the departmental gendarmerie located within the boundaries of the administrative region.

The general in command of the gendarmerie region is located at the headquarters of the protection zone (une zone de défense). All mobile gendarme units located within the zone are subordinate to him. In this case, the command has special powers to form the composition of the gendarmerie and recruit full-time employees of the mobile gendarmerie (forces de gendarmerie mobile).
2. Territorial formations (Les unités territoriales).

The unit (Le groupement) is the command formation of the departmental gendarmerie at the departmental level. The unit is divided into companies (compagnies). They are mainly stationed in gendarmerie departments, under the command of officers and divided into territorial brigades (brigades territoriales).

In principle, territorial brigades can operate independently or jointly with other units. Each brigade operates in its assigned canton.

Specialized formations.
The activities of territorial formations are complemented by other structures - special-purpose formations. Among them:
a) search units (les unités de recherches). These include: search brigades (brigades de recherches), departmental brigades of information and judicial investigation (brigades départementales de renseignements et d "investigations judiciaires), search sections (sections de recherches). These formations provide assistance to the judicial police and assistance to territorial detachments, conducting investigations that require special knowledge and great freedom of action;
b) Surveillance and intervention units (Les pelotons de surveillance et d"intervention).

They are located in the most sensitive crime areas, each of them is assigned to a specific company. They are obliged to strengthen at any time the effectiveness of the actions of units called to the scene of a crime or offense, accident or other events that violate public order; Perform surveillance tasks together with territorial detachments around the clock;
c) Brigades for the Prevention of Juvenile Crimes (Les brigades de prévention de la délinquance juvénile). The brigades were created in 1997. Their main purpose is to prevent teenagers from committing crimes. They mainly operate in the suburbs, where the gendarmerie carries out public security tasks and places particular emphasis on regular contact with troubled teenagers;
d) Traffic police units - departmental squadrons for road safety, motorized squads (Les unités de police de la route - escadrons départementaux de sécurité routière, brigades motorisées et pelotons d "autoroutes);
e) Mountain units (Les units de montagne). These are gendarme detachments operating in mountainous areas;
f) Air units (Les sections aériennes).

The third level is the Mobile Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie mobile).

In accordance with the law of August 29, 2002 on the general principles of ensuring internal security, the mobile gendarmerie forces are tasked with the following tasks: maintaining public order; security; performing permanent tasks of the protection zone; decentralization of formation at the provincial level.

In addition, the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie requires guarantees from the gendarmerie units to fulfill the so-called “national” tasks. For the Paris defense zone, the zone prefect enjoys the constant assistance of the other defense zones.
In its current form, the mobile gendarmerie has been in operation since July 1, 2005, when a law came into force that simplified the structure of the gendarmerie. This organization is under the authority of the regional gendarmerie command.

The Mobile Gendarmerie has the following territorial structure:
1) Regional Commander (Le commandant de région). The creation of a "gendarmerie region" (région de gendarmerie) allowed the gendarmerie to become a more cohesive organization and contributed to a better execution of civilian and military tasks. The general commanding the gendarmerie region is in
headquarters of the protection zone (de zone de défense), subjugates all mobile gendarmerie located within the boundaries of the zone. This power extends its influence to the formation of the departmental gendarmerie. In this case, the command has special powers to form the composition of the gendarmerie and recruit full-time employees of the mobile gendarmerie;
2) Grouping (Le groupement). It is under the command of a senior officer and includes from four to seven squadrons, reporting to the regional command, performing its functions in seven defense zones;
3) Squadron (L"escadron), commanded by a captain. The squadron includes five platoons.

The fourth level is the specialized gendarmerie (Gendarmeries spécialisées).

It has several varieties:
a) Republican Guard (Garde republi-caine);
b) Maritime Gendarmerie (Maritime).10 Officers and non-commissioned officers of the Maritime Gendarmerie are recruited from the departmental gendarmerie, the mobile gendarmerie or the Republican Guard.

The Naval Gendarmerie is under the command of a colonel and receives assistance from headquarters located in Paris. It consists of three units, eight companies, 75 formations (search brigades, coastal zone protection brigades, a platoon for ensuring the security of protected areas, patrol ships and patrol boats).

The Maritime Gendarmerie has the following geographical location: Metropolis: the union of the English Channel and the North Sea in Cherbourg; Overseas Territory: Guyana.

The tasks of the Mobile Gendarmerie can be grouped as follows:
– the task of ensuring national defense (participation in ensuring the safety and security of structures, naval buildings; protection of major military installations (ports, bases, etc.); protection and control of the population and their property; maintaining and restoring order at protected sites; protection of national waters);
– tasks of the general maritime police: judicial maritime police (the entire staff of the maritime gendarmerie: officers, judicial police agents or deputy judicial police agents); monitoring the state of the nation's health; control over illegal migration; control over illegal labor; fight against illegal trade (drugs, counterfeiting);
maritime security; helping people in danger.

The Maritime Gendarmerie can provide technical assistance to the departmental gendarmerie or other police services in the event of the need to carry out an investigation within its competence.

The maritime gendarmerie has patrol ships and boats at its disposal. Based on the specifics of the tasks, the maritime gendarmerie includes various specialists whose competence is exercised on land and on water;
c) Air Force Gendarmerie (Air). The Air Gendarmerie is a specialized unit of the national gendarmerie whose mission is to protect the airspace.
The Air Gendarmerie is under the command of a colonel and receives assistance from headquarters located in Paris. The air gendarmerie is divided into two groups (groupements), five companies (compagnies) and 43 formations (air gendarmerie detachments).

Air Gendarmerie personnel are representatives of the departmental gendarmerie, mobile or Republican Guard.

Tasks: security, military, administrative and judicial police, air army command council; ensuring airspace protection. In addition, the air gendarmerie provides administrative control of air bases and surrounding areas.

The air gendarmerie, fulfilling its task of protecting the airspace, is represented by four types of professions: gendarme brigade (Gendarme de brigade), motorcyclist gendarmes (Gendarme motocycliste), judicial gendarmes (Gendarme en section judiciaire), security group gendarmes (Gendarme du groupe de security);
d) Civil Aviation Gendarmerie (Transports Aériens).

In 1953, a specialized formation of the national gendarmerie appeared, whose task included the field of civil aviation. Since 2006, the Civil Aviation Gendarmerie has been located in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (la Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile – DGAC). This unit of the gendarmerie is under the command of a senior officer and receives assistance from its headquarters, which is located in Paris. The civil aviation gendarmerie is divided into two groups: the Northern Association is located in Roissy, and the Southern one is in Aix-en-Provence.

Representatives of the departmental gendarmerie, mobile or republican guard are recruited as part of the civil aviation gendarmerie.

The tasks of the civil aviation gendarmerie are, in principle, similar to the tasks of the national gendarmerie, but it also has its own specific tasks (control of air traffic, prevention of disasters, accidents, protection of civil aviation buildings, government officials, aircraft, judicial police: prevention of crimes and offenses).

During their service, members of the gendarmerie undergo educational programs and internships at the National School of Civil Aviation (l’Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile - ENAC) in Toulouse to obtain a certificate of flight training and skills in accident investigation;
e) Military gendarmerie (Armement).

The military gendarmerie includes: a headquarters based in Arques (un etat-major); a protection detachment (un groupe de protection), attached to the headquarters; two companies and 17 detachments. The military gendarmerie is headed by the chief of the corps (un chef de corps).

The Military Gendarmerie carries out both the general tasks of the gendarmerie (protection of the population and its property, crime prevention, judicial, administrative and military investigations at the protected objects of the military gendarmerie, as well as their operation on state territory; disaster prevention; control of personal data; control of vehicles and persons entering the territory of military deployment; prevention and prevention of offenses in the field of ecology, illegal trade, illegal labor and road safety), as well as specific functions of the police, security and safety (non-disclosure of industrial secrets, control of military zones and facilities at locations , control of persons and vehicles in protected enterprises, protection of property and important documents, ensuring the protection of high-ranking officials of the General Delegation of the Armed Forces (la delegation generale pour l "armement), investigations concerning persons and property of the General Delegation of the Armed Forces, participation in the defense of military installations ).

Command of Schools (Commandement des ecoles)
The Gendarmerie Schools Command coordinates the activities of the schools and research centers.

Road safety in gendarmerie zones16 is ensured primarily by the Departmental Road Safety Squadron (L"escadron départemental de sécurité routière (EDSR)). The squadron unites all gendarmerie formations whose task is to fight for road safety. It consists of a group (un groupe) , under the command of a gendarmerie officer, and specialized units whose competence varies depending on the characteristics of the road network: motorized brigade; road platoon; motorized road detachment; rapid reaction units.

The command detachment controls the actions of the departmental road safety squadron. Motorized brigades carry out road safety tasks in areas adjacent to the department. Their forms of activity are different: suppression of illegal trade, transport police, youth training, informing motorists. Traffic platoons perform policing duties on highways, including those outside department boundaries. Motorized road crews perform their tasks on highways. Rapid response units are strengthening control on the roads. Their activities are aimed at detaining persistent offenders in the flow of traffic: intercepting vehicles traveling at excessive speed, incorrectly changing lanes, failure to maintain a safe distance, etc. They can act in conjunction with gendarmerie helicopters.

The central office of the Gendarmerie has a National Center for Road Safety (le Center National de Formation à la Sécurité Routière – CNFSR),18 which provides training to employees. The Gendarmerie actively participates in the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), and the Gendarmerie Task Force (Un groupe opérationnel) organizes joint operations, especially in border areas.

Within the limits of its competence, the gendarmerie performs the functions of the judicial police. There are several types of judicial police operating within the gendarmerie:
a) in connection with the development of crime, the national gendarmerie is constantly developing its mechanisms and methods of action. Thus, in the fight against raiding, the Interdepartmental Committee for Combating Mobile Crime (la cellule interministérielle de liaison sur la délinquance itinérante - CILDI) was transformed into the Central Office in 2004;

b) the gendarmerie has its own scientific and technical units.20 In 1987 there was
The Institute of Forensic Research of the National Gendarmerie (l "Institut de recherche criminelle de la gendarmerie nationale - IRCGN) was created. The Institute carries out scientific research and necessary examinations at the request of formations and masters; assists investigators in checking the circumstances of the case and recording evidence; is responsible for increasing the educational level technical specialists and informing investigators; develops the technical base of forensic investigations. Education at the Institute is a continuous process. Training is carried out both within the gendarmerie itself (together with the national educational center of the judicial police in Fontainebleau) and in partnership with various civil authorities (laboratories, technical and scientific research institutions).The Institute of Forensic Research of the National Gendarmerie accepts trainees with an educational level of Bachelor + 4 minimum (BAC + 4);

c) Technical Service for Judicial Research and Documentation (Judicial Research) (STRJD – Recherches judiciaires). This judicial police body appeared in 1976. Its competence extends to both national and overseas territories. It investigates crimes (murder, theft, human trafficking, sexual aggression, crimes in the field of finance and economics, illegal trade in narcotic substances or art objects, cars, etc.) and offenses, as well as searching for persons and vehicles; maintains relations with public (national police, customs, Interpol, Europol, etc.) and private services (associations for the rehabilitation of victims, automobile centers, research centers, etc.). As an integral part of the Judicial Police, the Technical Service for Judicial Research and Documentation is constantly being improved. Thus, over the past years, this service has entrusted the police with monitoring the Internet and the fight against all forms of virtual crime;

d) The National Educational Center for the Judicial Police (le Center National de Formation de Police Judiciaire - CNFPJ) arose out of the need to provide specialized and continuous education to officers and non-commissioned officers of the gendarmerie of the judicial police. The center provides continuous and specialized education of a high level and quality for officers and non-commissioned officers; provides education for various levels of command of officers and non-commissioned officers. The training covers the following areas: crime investigation (crimes committed by minors; organized crime); scientific progress (economic and financial aspects; new information technologies; technology for criminal identification; environmental protection); compliance with laws and international standards. The center offers 34 forms of education and trains about 3,200 trainees per year;

e) the structure of the gendarmerie also has two Central Offices: – Central Office for the Fight against Crime (l "Office Central de Lutte contre la Délinquance Itinérante - OCLDI), which is attached to the judicial police unit of the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie;
– Central Office for Combating Crimes in the Environment and Health (L"Office Central de Lutte contre les Atteintes à l"Environnement et à la Santé Publique - OCLAESP) - attached to the judicial police unit of the national gendarmerie;

e) the gendarmerie is actively involved in the fight against virtual crime (cybercrime).23 The National Gendarmerie (NRBC)24 includes:
– Department of Cybernetics of the Technical Service for Judicial Research and Documentation (Département cybercriminalité du servise technique de recherches judiciaries et de documentation – STRJD). The Department provides network surveillance, detecting violations of persons and property, as well as the transmission of data over the Internet;

– Information Department of the Research Institute in the Field of Crimes of the National Gendarmerie (Département informatique et électronique de l`institute de recherché criminelle de la Gendarmerie nationale – IRCGN);

– National Center for Combating the Dissemination of Images of Child Pornography (le Center national d`images pédopornografiques – CNAIR). The center has existed since October 2003. It collects and categorizes images seized during investigations into a database and helps investigators make identifications.

Since 2002, the Gendarmerie has been introducing specialized education in the field of new technologies for specialized investigators, called N-TECH, who work together with search units. This entity is located at the National Center for the Judicial Police (CNFPJ), located in Fontainebleau. After completing their education, trainees return to their units with specific equipment called an "investigator's kit."

There are currently about 100 N-TECH gendarmes doing their job.

Investigators of territorial units use the help of specialists from research units in the field of virtual crime technologies. In the investigation teams, N-TECH investigators take care of the technical aspect of forensic investigations. Research groups investigate specific offenses related to damage to information systems. These structures are intended to oversee the network.

Departmental intelligence brigades (Les Brigades Départementales de Renseignement) and judicial investigation units (d`Investigations Judiciaires - BDRIJ) are located at departmental headquarters. The combination of forces of technical specialists in forensic science (criminal investigation specialists, N-TECH, forensic analysis) promotes the exchange of experience, improving skills and increasing competence.

The mobile gendarmerie cooperates with the departmental gendarmerie to protect public order.25 In accordance with the law on the installation and programming of internal security of August 29, 2002,26 the mobile forces of the gendarmerie are subject to a new doctrine. This doctrine combines the requirements for ensuring security with the requirements for maintaining law and order. Gendarmerie formations in this area perform the following tasks: maintaining public order; ensuring security (fighting crime, providing emergency assistance, search activities); permanent tasks of the protection zone; decentralized education.

The General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie requires gendarmerie units to carry out so-called “national” tasks. Thus, for the defense zone of Paris, the Prefect receives constant assistance from other defense zones. National tasks: carrying out tasks in the overseas territory, Corsica and conducting operations outside the country; assistance to the Paris defense zone; operations outside the zone; seasonal assistance during the influx of tourists. Acting as administrative police, the 27th Gendarmerie is responsible for 95% of French territory.

In France, as in many other countries, the state is obliged to protect citizens and their property, maintain order and ensure the rule of law. In particular, in France, these tasks are performed by two centralized departments - the National Police and the Gendarmerie. They are vested with the same powers, but are subordinate to different ministries.

History of the French police

The emergence of the criminal police in France dates back to by the time of Napoleon. Before this, its functions included not the suppression of criminal crimes or their detection, but observation, surveillance and arrests of political opponents of the kings. Even after the emergence of the police prefecture itself, Paris remained a place of “trade” for numerous thieves and robbers.

Only in 1810, when a lot of crimes were committed in Paris, it took shape crime french police, which was then called Surte(translated as “security”).

The founder of this structure and the system of its work is rightfully considered to be Eugene Francois Vidocq, who until the age of 35 himself led a life of crime and even escaped from prison.

When his former prison colleagues began to blackmail him and threaten to turn him in to the authorities, he decided to come to the police himself and offer his services to fight crime. Although later the police were embarrassed to admit that a former criminal managed to become the chief of police and organize a successful fight against criminals, Vidocq actually managed to form a criminal police department.

He was guided by the principle: “Only a criminal can solve and prevent a crime,” so he had many former robbers in his service. His methods of work, such as imaginary arrests, the work of decoys in cells, the creation of an archive, and remembering the faces of criminals in prisons, were used by the criminal police even after he left it.

Also important in the history of the French police was Alphonse Bertillon, who is considered the creator of the method of identifying criminals based on anthropometric data, called Bertillonage in his honor.

Perhaps it was his method that prompted researchers to create fingerprinting, which then replaced and supplanted anthropometric measurements.

Police functions

The French National Police reports to the Ministry of the Interior and operates mainly in cities with a population of over 16 thousand people. The main function of the National Police is to maintain the rule of law in the broadest sense of the word, therefore it performs the following tasks:

• security work (road control, patrolling, identity cards, etc.),
• investigative and search work under the supervision of judicial authorities (conducting searches on warrants, other investigative tasks).

Recruitment into the police force is done through a competitive examination. After passing the selection process, the future French police officer studies in a specialized school for six months. Police officers and inspectors are trained separately. The higher school involves another six months of training for police officers.

The French Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. It is considered a paramilitary body necessary to maintain the safety of society. She, like the police, protects citizens and their property. The Gendarmerie carries out its work in small towns and rural areas.

In addition to the function of maintaining law and order, the gendarmerie performs other additional duties for the armed defense of the nation. Like the National Police, the Gendarmerie is involved in investigative activities.

There is a special Academy for Gendarmerie employees, which allows those wishing to serve in the Gendarmerie to undergo training or retraining. After passing exams according to university standards, the future gendarme studies for 2 years in many disciplines: organizing the fight against crime, jurisprudence, social order, international relations, working with the media, human rights, etc.

For sergeants there is the possibility of obtaining the rank of officer.

What are police officers called in France?

The most common nickname for a French policeman in the world is "azhan" (agent), which translated simply means “agent”.

Another nickname for police officers in France is chicken (poule). It arose because the police headquarters in Paris is located in the place where poultry used to be sold.

One of the offensive, and therefore pronounced behind the scenes, nickname of a French policeman is "flick".

They were first called flies (mouche), then renamed from the French “fly” to the Dutch fliege, and only then shortened to flic.

Now residents are insultingly trying to decipher the abbreviation of this nickname, going as far as the “Legal Federation of Helmet Idiots.”

Films about French police

Of course, it is better to learn about the work of police in France from your own experience, but preferably from the outside, simply by observing. But if you don’t have the opportunity to visit France, you can watch films that seriously or funnyly show the working life of French police officers.

A serious and sometimes even mystical film “Vidocq” with Gerard Depardieu as the main character was made about one of the main predecessors and founders of the modern criminal police.

Wonderful comedy films have been made about the life and work of French gendarmes with Louis de Funes in the role of an eccentric policeman, “The Gendarme from Saint-Tropez,” “The Gendarme on Vacation,” “The Gendarme Gets Married,” etc.

The film “Open up, police!” will tell about the life of police officers in modern realities, when it is difficult to remain incorruptible. – an interesting detective story with elements of comedy.

You can watch the movie about Commissioner Campana, “Once Upon a Time There Was a Policeman,” who is tasked with finding and neutralizing drug lords in Nice. The melodramatic line in this film will also be interesting.

Seeing a secret service agent who was betrayed by his own country, and even in the person of Jean-Paul Belmondo, already seems interesting. And the presence of philosophical overtones in the film “Professional” makes it perhaps the best in its genre.

Check out the soundtrack of the film "The Professional" with Jean-Paul Belmondo as a secret service agent, Marricone's music is beyond praise.

http://youtu.be/7yL61sF0sMY

What are law enforcement agencies called in different countries of the world? November 28th, 2016

Hello dears.
Not long ago I was watching the celebration of the Day of Internal Affairs Officer of the Russian Federation, and made a small conclusion for myself that although the internal affairs bodies in our country have long been called police, and not militia, among the common people (and no offense to the employees , whom I personally know a lot and respect) are called cops. In theory, with the transition to the police, they should have renamed it to show-off, but no :-))
And so I decided to collect some information about the popular naming of law enforcement agencies in some countries. I ask the reading staff not to be offended. Because Vox populi vox Dei :-))) And law enforcement officers are not liked anywhere. Some are for cruelty, some are for corruption, some are for trying to limit freedom. But despite all this, it’s impossible without them. Not at all. Where there is no police (police, gendarmerie, etc.), or where law enforcement agencies are very weak, there is chaos, lawlessness and looting. So, despite all the dislike of the majority of the population, only the most frostbitten do not understand the importance of the internal affairs bodies. And where there is importance, there is respect. This is such a paradox - respect and dislike in one bottle :-)

But let's move on to specifics.
So, our law enforcement officers are usually called cops, garbage, kickers
Let's figure it out. The term "ment" is quite old and came to us from the language of the Masurians. Let me remind you that we called professional criminals maz or mazurik at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This name came from the historical part of Poland called Mazovia (Masuria), and originally meant a Mazovian thief. Polish criminal elements brought a lot to our criminal world, including the basis of the modern feni.

Mazovia.

So the mazuriki introduced it, and already in the “List of words of the thieves’ language known to the police officials of the Rostov-on-Don district” (1914) we can read the following: “MENT is a police officer, a police officer, a guard or a policeman.” The question here is how did the Poles know it, because in the Polish language, as far as I remember, there is no such word. It turns out that it came from Hungarian. In Hungarian, mente means “cloak, cape.” In the Russian language, the diminutive form “mentik” is more popular - as V. Dal explained, “hussar epanechka, cape, outer jacket, Hungarian” (“Explanatory Dictionary”). Remember, our wonderful hussars had these same mentiks in their cords :-).

Mentik hussar

What does the cape have to do with it, you ask? The fact is that the police of the Austro-Hungarian Empire wore capes, which is why they were called “cops” - “cloaks”. From there the word passed to the Poles (part of Poland after the 3rd partition came under the control of Austria-Hungary), and then to us, where it finally settled down. Moreover, after the introduction by the Soviet government of the Latin term “militia,” which is not entirely correct from a logical point of view in relation to law enforcement agencies, it became consonant with the word cop.

Late form of the Austrian gendarme. No more mentality :-)

The slang word "garbage" comes from the abbreviation ICC - Moscow Criminal Investigation. After the Revolution of 1917, the organization was renamed first to MosUR, then to MUR (Moscow Criminal Investigation), but the word “garbage” remained. Although some try to find something in common with Hebrew, remembering that there is a word Moser, which means traitor. There are no parallels and this is just an attempt to put an owl on a globe :-)

Cops or cops are already a classic. The word was still pre-revolutionary and meant detectives who were searching for criminals. Remember how it was with Kuprin: “ After breakfast, Sashka the Cook stretched out along the bunk and, surrounded by his comrades, began to tell the story of how he fled from Siberia and how he was caught in Nsk; first he inquired if there were any cops in the cell.”. And this has its own logic. On the one hand, pointers are a breed of hunting dogs distinguished by good instincts and perseverance. On the other hand, detectives hunting criminals worked not in uniform, but in the most ordinary clothes, and, like all other police officers, had numbered badges, but did not wear them openly, but behind the lapel of their jacket. It so happened that they disguised its twist on the outside with badges of the hunting society with images of a man shooting ducks, or following the scent of a cop dog. In principle, it was possible to disguise the twist with any badge, but it was the hunting pointer that was prestigious. Something like this:

But what about in other countries, you ask. Well, let's see.

In the USA, police officers are usually called flatty, busy, constable, cop, copper, policeman, patrolman, officer. The most common is Kop. There are several versions of the appearance of this word. According to one of them, the most popular, American police officers of the 1850s wore eight-pointed copper stars, from the word copper, i.e. copper in English, and they began to be called cops. Another version: cop is simply an abbreviation for the expression “Constable on Patrol”. A constable is a low-ranking police officer.

There is also the name pharaohs, and this is where it gets really complicated. There are 2 main versions. According to the first, due to the fact that the US dollar depicts a truncated pyramid, and the police serve it. According to the second, simply because the police at the end of the century had a baton and a helmet :-)

In Britain, police officers are most commonly called Bobby cops. This came from the name of the British Prime Minister - Robert Peel (short for Robert - Bob or Bobby). As Minister of the Interior, he reorganized the police force, making it a more efficient and successful public institution. All this happened at the beginning of the 19th century. Back then the police were nicknamed bobbies or peelers (look again - Robert Peel). Nowadays they are often called cops, and those who treat them with extreme disdain are called rashers (a fried piece of bacon, that is, pork).

But in the former dominion of the British Empire of Australia, the police are called not bobbies or cops, but jacks ((jack). At first, the Australians called their police officers gendarmes, and the average policeman was called, accordingly, John Darm. At some point, John’s surname disappeared, and he was renamed Jack.

In France, the most common nickname for police officers is flic. The French are still arguing about the origin of the word. It appeared in the middle of the 19th century. Initially, policemen were called flies (mouche). Then, experts believe, the French “fly” was replaced by the Dutch fliege, which then turned into flic. Much later, the French came up with the idea of ​​deciphering the word flic as Federation Legale des Idiots Casques (literally translated as “Legal Federation of Idiots in Helmets”).

French police officers are also called poule, which literally means chicken. The fact is that the Parisian police headquarters on the Quai d'Orfèvre occupies the site of the old market where poultry used to be sold. Hence the dissonant name. Finally, the most famous name for French police officers throughout the world is “agent”, that is, simply “agent”.

36 Quai d'Aufevre, former Paris police headquarters

In Germany, police officers are called bulls. Few people know why, but many Germans believe that the nickname came from the animal. They are called bulls for their stubbornness and strength.

In Spain, police officers are called poli, a diminutive of police. Apparently they love their guards :-)))

In Italy, police officers are called sbirro, a nickname that has Latin roots (birrum - red cloak). Initially, police officers wore red uniforms, hence the nickname. The story is somewhat similar to our “cops”.

In Holland, all nicknames have Jewish roots. So, in more prosperous areas of the same Amsterdam, the nickname smeris - to observe (the word came from ancient Hebrew) is mainly found, and in less prosperous areas the nickname klabak - dog (in Yiddish) is adopted.

That's how things are...
Have a nice time of day

Unfortunately, crime exists in all countries of the world, and special government bodies are needed to suppress destructive activities in society. is no exception. Every country in the world has its own internal and external security system. The French police are the most important body of the executive apparatus and the entire law enforcement system of the country. In addition to police officers, in French society there is a separate category of employees called “gendarmes”. All these bodies carry out law enforcement activities in the Republic on a daily basis.

National Gendarmerie of France

Translated from French, “gens d’armes” are people who carry weapons. The French gendarmerie is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense and is called upon to ensure the internal security of the country and its property. This government body also ensures the security of the country’s president and members of the Cabinet. State important facilities are also guarded by gendarmerie units.

A special feature of the structure of the national internal military police is the presence in it of a research institute for forensic medical and forensic examination. Within the framework of this research institute, various developments in the field of safety and security are carried out and applied.

The French National Gendarmerie follows the orders of the justice authorities and the Ministry of Defense.

French police uniform

The everyday uniform of a French policeman is designed to distinguish a representative of the law from the masses. It is not flashy, has a blue color and police stripes.

As for the dress uniform, the French gendarmerie has very festive and bright outfits. Originally, this body was a type of mounted police, so these roots can be traced in the appearance of the gendarmes.

The dark blue uniform has bright red turns, and the white belt matches the shoulder straps perfectly. As you can see, the dress uniform of the French policeman is made up of the colors of the country's national flag, which emphasizes the patriotic nature of the unit. A headdress in the form of a cylindrical cap creates a more impressive look. Blue trousers with stripes tucked into boots. For more than 20 years, the dress uniform of the gendarmes has not changed.

Police and gendarmerie: differences and features

Many people believe that the police and the gendarmerie are the same government agency. These individual parts of the French apparatus have a number of differences.

The French police are a purely civilian force. It is designed to ensure order in society. To become a police officer, you need to write a special competitive exam, based on the results of which you are selected for a specialized institution. There, the future employee undergoes training for about six months.

The Gendarmerie, in turn, has police functions. However, its activities are aimed at the armed defense of the country. The analogue of this body in the Russian Federation is the internal troops. There is a specialized Academy for gendarmes, which provides advanced training and retraining of personnel. Unlike a police officer, a representative of the gendarmerie must undergo training for a period of 2 years.

Police activities under threat

Unfortunately, there have been a series of terrorist attacks in France in recent years. These terrible events claimed the lives of many people. However, if not for the activities of the valiant French police, there could have been even more victims. The police searched for the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks, and also worked together with the gendarmerie to protect the country's population from new incidents.

According to the French press, law enforcement agencies have recently increased the level of security at railway facilities, saying that attackers are preparing to target this infrastructure. The French police also pay special attention to schools and educational institutions where the risk of a terrorist attack is quite high.

Other European countries followed the example of French law enforcement agencies. Preventing terrorist attacks today is a top priority domestic security task.